In his writing, Apostle Peter revealed something pivotal about prophecies – “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” II Peter 1:20-21 NKJV. On the surface, our text may seem to suggest that the prophecy of Elijah about the rain was from his own volition. He would appear as a power-drunk who wanted to flex a bit of that power. However, hearing him pray in our text changes the narrative completely. He pleaded that God would send fire to demonstrate that he had done all things at His word. So when Elijah announced that there would be no rain, it was because God told him to say so. There is nowhere in God’s word that indicates we can do things arbitrarily as we please. Every move must be as God commands and in line with His will.
The chief aim of all gospel activities is to make God known. Whether it is preaching or miracles, everything must point people to God.
Another important lesson from our text is the objective of the prayer. The objective was not different from what brought the famine in the first instance. Israel had gone into idolatry, and must be brought back to the true God. So Elijah asked for the supernatural fire that the people may know that He is God in the land. The chief aim of all gospel activities is to make God known. Whether it is preaching or miracles, everything must point people to God. Where this is not the case, what you have is a charade.
